The countdown to 2023 has officially begun, an appropriate time for reflecting on the previous year’s successes plus learning from our mistakes in the New Year! Some highlights of the year include, but are not limited to, the following:
17-year-old British sensation Ben Bartram won the US Open Junior title in boys’ singles and doubles using the V-Cell 8 285g, and finished the year ranked no. 2 in the world in junior wheelchair tennis. He will go down in history as the first-ever champion of the tournament, which started this year. After a successful year on the Junior Circuit, Bartram has decided to shift his focus onto the professional circuit in the coming year. His first main draw men's Grand Slam event will take place at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Former Tennessee standout and NCAA champion Hunter Reese had arguably his best-ever season on tour, achieving a career-high ranking inside of the world’s top 80 on the ATP doubles circuit. Finishing this year with a bang at the Knoxville Challenger event, Reese (who plays with the V-Feel 8 315g) won his third title of the year there on his old stomping grounds in Tennessee.
As part of a highly touted group of Mexican tennis stars at Wimbledon this year, Miguel Reyes-Varela was overwhelmed with joy to be a part of the largest group of Mexicans representing their home country at the All-England Club. Some highlights of his season include reaching the finals of tournaments in Amersfoort and Seoul alongside Nicolas Barrientos, plus winning a handful of Challenger events in 2022. Miguel’s first trip of the season will be to India for an ATP 250, then a warm-up event leading up to this year’s Australian Open followed by the first Grand Slam of the year! He uses the V-Cell 8 315g for competition and practice sessions!
Sabrina Santamaria had one of her best seasons on tour this year while using the V-Cell 8 300g. It may have been her first WTA title, but winning Monterrey alongside Catherine Harrison was an immense turning point in Sabrina’s career — proving that she can hang with anyone on-court and be a contender for winning more titles in the future.
Volkl’s tennis player turned movie body double Kaitlyn Christian, who played with Sabrina Santamaria while a USC student-athlete, starred in “Battle of the Sexes” and most recently, “King Richard.” Kaitlyn, who plays with the V-Cell 8 300g, is currently ranked 64 in the WTA doubles rankings, and won a WTA title earlier in the year in Guadalajara, Mexico.
32-year-old Canadian player Kelsey Stevenson said in a recent Instagram post that he was about to retire from professional tennis just before having a breakthrough season, achieving a career-high ranking of No. 263 on the ATP tour after winning his maiden Challenger Tour event back in July; most recently, Kelsey used his V-Cell 8 315g to win a 15K event in Egypt just two weeks ago.
Ukraine’s Oleksandra Oliynykova was sidelined due to injuries for a good part of the year, but has since bounced back and is currently ranked in the world’s top 700 after winning two out of four tournaments in Greece this past fall. Oleksandra, 21, recently tested out some new Volkl frames and switched to the C10 EVO, which will likely propel her to a career-high ranking in 2023.
Anastasia Zolotareva just achieved a career-high singles ranking of No. 252 on December 12, thanks to claiming a series of ITF titles this year in Egypt and Turkey. She attributes her success to playing with her V8 Pro.
Stay tuned for incoming news on Volkl, including new racquet and product releases in the coming weeks! Happy holidays, everyone, and we so appreciate you being on team Volkl!
